


The Malfoy Baby Bargain

by XpectoPatronum



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Voldemort Wins, Blaise Zabini is a Good Friend, Community: Dramione FanFiction Forum, F/M, Fake Marriage, Good Blaise Zabini, Good Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger-centric, Marriage Contracts, Marriage Law Challenge, POV Blaise Zabini, POV Draco Malfoy, POV Hermione Granger, Parent Draco Malfoy, Parent Hermione Granger, Pregnant Ginny Weasley, Pregnant Hermione Granger, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Rise of Voldemort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:40:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23995423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XpectoPatronum/pseuds/XpectoPatronum
Summary: Hermione would never give up on a cause she believes in. Even when Voldemort had won and her life seemed to hit rock bottom, she still didn't lose the fight in her. But then she bumps into a certain blonde who gives her an ultimatum. The choice that seemed so righteous at first proves too hard for her and she starts doubting her willingness to do the right thing.
Relationships: Ginny Weasley/Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 26
Kudos: 186
Collections: Dramione





	1. A Flame Of Hope

**Author's Note:**

> You know that quote that says "Life starts at the end of your comfort zone"? Well I decided to give it a try. This one starts off with Draco already acknowledging and accepting his feelings for Hermione. It's also my first attempt at M Rated fiction. Both of which are themes I'm trying to experiment with and see where things go. I hope it interests you while reading it the same way it interests me while writing it. Thank you for your time. :)
> 
> Note 2:  
> I do *not* own any of the characters mentioned in this story. They are all the creation of J.K Rowling and I do not intend to claim them mine or make any profit out of them.

Adelaide was a beautiful city, Draco thought as he walked down the street. It was the second time for him to be sent on a mission in Australia but last time he hardly had time to catch his breath. This time was different, though. It was a false alarm, they received news from one of their Australian informers that Neville Longbottom was seen somewhere in Mount Gambier.

He headed there with a covey of Death Eaters, some of Voldemort's best men. He never knew why Voldemort expressed such interest in Longbottom out of all the other insurgents. Other men speculated that the reason behind such interest was the fact that Longbottom was considered one of the agitators. Draco remembered the speech the boy had made that day during the battle of Hogwarts. Yes, he'd probably make a good agitator, he thought.

Six years have passed since the battle of Hogwarts and irrevocable changes have happened to the Wizarding community. He didn't dare hide his mark or look at it with disgust anymore. In a society where being a Death Eater was the highest rank one could possibly reach, he should have considered himself one of the lucky few.

A few months after the war, his father was sent on a mission to punish a herd of Centaurs who refused to ally with Voldemort during the war. A mission that appeared out to be nothing but a death trap for Lucius. He never came back and the only survivor among the large group of men who accompanied him said the Centaurs were too vicious that very little of them men's bodies' were left. It wasn't the Centaurs Voldemort was trying to punish, it was the Malfoys. But considering the new status quo, Voldemort couldn't afford killing off the patriarch of one of the most deep-rooted, pure-blood families in the wizarding world. It would have alarmed the rest of the pure bloods who reveled in the mix of security and superiority the new regime had given them. So he made Lucius walk to death with his own legs.

Draco's mother was never the same after his father's death. She seemed to lose interest in life gradually. When his death was reported eventually, she didn't blink at the news. When people expressed their condolences to her she was as poised as ever, causing rumors to spread about her relationship with her late husband. Then it seemed like she stopped living. She ate, she drank, she attended social events when necessary and even held ones of her own when Voldemort ordered her to. She made polite conversations with people and was her normal hospitable self. But all that evaporated the minute people were gone. She talked very little to Draco, nothing he did seemed to bring her back to her normal state. He even tried provoking her, picking up fights for trivial reasons but she just looked at him with silent indifference in return, refusing to fight back. But Draco was becoming used to it, she might not be the same and maybe they shared very few words lately, but he was grateful for her mere presence.

What Draco saw in front of him snapped him out of his deep thoughts. A middle-aged couple were walking towards him but what caught his attention was the woman. She had wavy brown hair that went a few inches past her shoulder, a tan that didn't seem to suit her features and a pair of dark brown eyes that looked way too familiar for Draco. They reminded him of a certain brunette that occupied his thoughts for too long.

Every time news came to their headquarters about one of the insurgents he was the most eager in investigating the matter. While he let other people interpreted this as hard work and eagerness to please Voldemort and repent for his family's mistake, he knew this wasn't the reason. With every raid, he was hoping that he could find her. Nobody knew where she was and most of them speculated that she was dead. His gut feeling told him otherwise though, and he kept on hopping from one country to the other hoping that in one of those houses they kept targeting, he would find her. Or that, as a worst case scenario, he could have her death confirmed.

He lost track of the number of people he had interrogated about her. He had interrogated Ginevra Weasley alone over five times about her and she gave him absolutely no useful information. Almost six months ago, somebody reported seeing her and he had never been more willing to go on a raid before. Then all his eagerness turned into fury when he realized it was some other girl that looked like her, he almost killed their informer but he refrained at the last minute.

Did they have to be born on opposite sides of the spectrum? Draco mused ruefully. Had he been born to a different family, a family that wasn't so prejudiced against her, his whole life could've been turned upside down. What if his parents never passed on their ideologies to him? What if he had the nerve to throw these ideologies behind his back when he finally had the chance to make a choice for himself? He could've stayed at Hogwarts and fought and for once they would have been on the same side. Yes, he was most probably going to end up dead. But wasn't dying better than living with the consequences of a series of wrong choices? No. Draco shook his head with a frown. He had made the right choice; family came first, that was the one code he would never be able to live against. It didn't matter whether he made the right choice or the wrong one; he made the Malfoy choice.

Draco was so consumed by the thought of finding her that he didn't even care what would happen next. Chances are she would try to kill him the minute she caught a glimpse of him. And even if he was able to persuade her to listen to him, did he really have anything to say to defend himself? If she was still alive and hiding then she would probably be one of the insurgents if not their leader. Draco realized he was trying to make parallel lines meet.

The insurgents were weak, they were scattered allover different countries with little to no means of communication. So they avoided confrontation at all costs. He was looking for a woman who was doing her best to stay away from people like him. But hadn't she always stayed away from people like him? Draco sighed in frustration; with all the power that now lay at the tip of his finger, he still wasn't able to find the one thing he was looking for. And even if he did find her, there was the dilemma of keeping her with him. By force, he could definitely secure her to his side for as long as he pleased, but that would be an ill-gotten gain. He wanted a real chance with her, one where he would get to reveal his true colors. Where she would listen to him, understand and eventually accept him and...dared he say, love him? Of course there was zero to none chance that she would let him do that, but it was worth trying; Hermione Granger was worth trying for.

Unable to stop himself, he went after the couple who have passed by him. They were holding hands and chatting animatedly as if they were teenagers.

"Excuse me." he called after them and the couple turned around.

"Hello, I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy." he extended his hand and the couple shook it respectively, looking at him with a puzzled smile.

"I'm afraid this will sound odd but you look a lot like a friend of mine and I couldn't help but wonder if you're related to her." he explained in the most friendly

manner he could muster, directing his words to the woman . "Does the family name 'Granger' ring a bell?" he asked.

"Well, aside from the fact that we live in Grange road, I'm afraid not" said the man, laughing at what he seemed to think of as a joke, and the woman apparently shared his opinion as she chuckled at him. Draco did his best not to grimace at the couple.

"I'm Monica Wilkins and this is Wendell Wilkins, my husband" the woman introduced "I'm sorry we're not familiar with that name, but I hope you find your friend soon." she smiled at him pleasantly.

"It's alright, I'm sorry for the disturbance." Draco nodded curtly at them, plastering a smile to his face before he swiftly obliviated the two of them.

Draco turned on his heel and walked away from the Wilkins, the flame of hope that was starting to rise in him, instantly extinguished.


	2. The Baby Bargain

Draco had been stalling his return to London for three days now. There was no reason for him to stay after the woman who he thought was Hermione's mother turned out to be a different person. A thought kept nagging him, what if they were actually her parents, but they were lying to protect her? If that was true then it meant that Hermione could be anywhere in this city.

This was hopeless, Draco sighed in frustration. He had tracked the Wilkins and have been lurking outside their house and following them most of the time but nothing seemed to happen. He even broke into their house and no sign of Hermione was there. Maybe it was just pure coincidence. Or maybe Monica Wilkins didn't even look like Hermione and his mind was playing tricks on him.

A sudden movement snapped Draco out of his deep thought. He looked around him but nothing seemed different. He was about to decide that it was probably a cat when he saw a shadow move in the backyard of the Willkins' house. He approached the shadow carefully and with every step he was becoming more convinced that the shadow might be another trick by his mind.  
The figure was of a girl, a mass of very familiar brown hair framed her face. She looked like she was trying to look through the window. He walked closer and something cracked under his feet.

Alarmed by the noise, the girl snapped her head up and looked at him. Any doubt Draco had about her identity vanished as he saw the look of horror on her face.

"Granger!" he stared at her incredulously. But he was talking to thin air. Hermione jumped away from him and started running in the opposite direction. He ran after her but she was already turning into another street. When had she become so fast!

Draco followed her, letting his legs take him as far as they could. This could go on forever, he thought grimly. She seemed very familiar with those streets, unlike him. She stopped for a minute, grabbing one of the bins in the street and threw it him in an attempt to stop him. But he waved it away with his wand. No longer caring whether or not he could be seen by a Muggle, Draco took out his wand and pointed it at Hermione's feet. She stumbled and fell, second later he was pinning her to the ground.

"Get off me! _GET OFF ME, MALFOY!_ I'm going to kill you I swear." she was flailing her arms frantically everywhere, trying to claw at his face.

Draco tried to take hold of her hands but she aimed something between a slap and a punch at his face and he fell back. Taking the precious chance, Hermione ran again. Enraged, Draco pointed his wand at her and yelled "Petrificus Totalus". the spell hit here right before she was about to turn into another narrow street.

Hermione fell to the hard ground with a thud and Draco instantly regretted his actions. He went over to her, she was unconscious and as he lifted her off the ground, he noticed that there was a trail of blood. Draco cursed himself loudly, he braced Hermione's stiff body over his chest and apparated them back to his house.

Hermione's eyes fluttered as she half opened them. She felt dizzy and it was a long moment before the blur that clouded her vision had faded. She gradually let her eyes get accustomed to the bright lights around her and then started scanning the room. Her eyes instantly fell on the man who was sitting by the bed. Hermione's eyes widened in alarm, she looked around her trying to think of a way out.

"You can't escape, Granger. And I doubt you'll need to escape at all. Calm down." Draco reached out for her hand but she flinched away.

" _Don't_ touch me." she warned.

"Alright" he raised both hands up.

"Look, if I wanted to kill you I would've done it the moment I saw you. And if I wanted to imprison you, you wouldn't be in my bed now."

"You _were_ trying to kill me, I didn't do this to myself_" she pointed at her head "_and prison sounds more appealing than your bed." she struggled to get off the bed. Standing on shaky feet, she swayed for a moment as she tried to regain her balance. Draco grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back to the bed.

"I wasn't trying to kill you, I was trying to stop you." he explained "Who knew you could run so fast!" he mused.

"Years of living on the run sort of help you improve that skill." she sneered at him.

"Look, as unbelievable as this might sound, I really want to help you. And honestly, you have no way out of here without my help. This is the Malfoy Manor, you can't apparate out of it. The only way you can get out is through the door and I'd _love_ to see you trying. _"_ he smirked at her.

Hermione eyed him suspiciously for a moment before speaking "How are you going to help me, then?" she asked.

"First, go have a shower; you look terrible." he said, standing up.

"How I look isn't any of your business, Malfoy. Answer me." she scowled at him.

"Are you trying to tell me that you aren't desperate for a decent bath?" he raised an eyebrow at her. "Come on." he urged as he extended his hand for her, she hesitated a bit but took it eventually.

"Take your time." he said as she slammed the door in his face.

Draco sat on the bed patiently, waiting for Hermione to come out. This was better than Christmas, he smiled wickedly. But his smile faded when he saw a drop of blood on the pillow next to him. _Bloody idiot!_ He scolded himself, out of all the spells in the history of magic, he decided to use a spell that would knock her down on the hard ground. A house elf would've been cleverer than that! But he did heal her, didn't he? It didn't matter, Draco had learned the hard way that fixing something doesn't change the fact that you broke it in the first place.

She looked like a ghost of Hermione, he brooded. She had lost half of her weight, there were dark shadows underneath her eyes, bloodshot eyes. But they still gleamed and glittered as bright as ever. Her hair was much longer now and untrimmed yet it still framed her face almost protectively. The past years must have taken their toll on her but she was still the same, she hadn't lost an iota of the fight in her. And Draco sighed in relief at that thought; his worst fear was a broken Hermione.

Hermione emerged from the bathroom after too long, dressed in a grey bathrobe that went past her knees. She tried to push her hair back, away from her face and it kept dripping water everywhere.

"Why didn't you dry your hair?" Draco asked

"I don't have a wand." Hermione replied.

"Yes, where's your wand? I haven't seen it with you, did you drop it back in Australia?" he asked

"I..don't have a wand at all." Hermione shook her head "I haven't had a wand for the past seven months, there was this man, he recognized me and wanted to take me to...you-know-who. We fought and I escaped but he managed to break my wand. I never got the chance to find another one." she explained.

Draco stared at Hermione, his mouth gaping. A witch or a wizard's worst nightmare is living without their wands. Having to use a wand that wasn't yours was bad enough, but having no wand at all was horrible.

"So, how did you manage without a wand?" he asked.  
"Well, I thought it was a good chance for me to practice wandless magic. I was always good at it." she raised her chin up proudly. Draco's mouth twisted in a smile, she was probably the only person he knew who would find a silver lining in such a difficult situation.

"Alright, I'll try to find you a wand." he said.

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sorry?" Draco frowned at her

"Why would you find me a wand? Why didn't you kill or imprison me when you had the chance? And why do you say you're going to help me?" she demanded

"I'll find you a wand because you're a witch and witches usually need wands. I didn't kill or imprison you because I don't want to. And I'm helping you because I want to." Draco shrugged.

"Oh! How thoughtful of you! Really, Malfoy, what do you want from me?" she looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"Look, if I have found you two or three months ago I would've had absolutely no power to help you. You're on top of the 'Wanted' list, you're a Muggle-born and you're one of the insurgents and Potter's best friend, this is recipe for disaster. But then something happened_" he sat down on the bed next to her and she moved back, ignoring her gesture, Draco continued.

"You see, our society have changed, most muggle-borns aren't safe now. They fled away, and those of them who are still here are treated as servants. And then there are the blood-traitors, the Weasleys as an example. Arthur Weasley have been demoted to a lowly job in Gringotts now, his wife and his children are scattered everywhere and we weren't able to track them down yet, his son Geroge fled the country recently."

Hermione's heart sank at the news she was hearing, she had been trying to contact them but to no avail. "However, blood-traitors specially the Weaslys got...fairer treatment. They had trials where they could defend themselves. Arthur and George Weasley denied having any more loyalty to Potter and they had absolutely no information about the insurgents, so they were spared."

"They would never say something like that!" Hermione fumed at him.

"That's what happened, Granger. I told you things were different now. Ginevra Weasley, though was a different case. She was barking mad, she cursed and tried to slap one of the Death Eaters when he was taking her away and refused to reply to any questions directed at her." Draco shook his head in amusement and Hermione grinned, that was definitely something Ginny would do.

"So as a result, she received a death sentence. _However_ , and that's the important part, she said she was pregnant and that the father was Blaise Zabini." he added. Hermione gasped in shock.

"Yes, we all gasped when we heard this. But appeared out it was true, Blaise was the father. In this new society, a Death Eater is the highest rank anybody could possibly achieve, there are healers, wand makers, professors, an endless list of jobs. But eventually, a Death Eater ranks above them all, because they serve the Dark Lord directly. So being a Death Eater has some privileges, their families are as secure as they are. When Ginevra said that, she saved her own life; she was bearing a Death Eater's child and that protected her from the death sentence."

"Ginny would never...I mean...she..maybe she was forced." Hermione grimaced at what Draco just told her.

"She wasn't forced into anything, Granger. She just had a sense of self preservation and she was smart enough to act upon it." Draco shrugged.

" _No_ , you don't know her, she's not like that." Hermione shook her head and frowned at him.

"Alright, it doesn't matter, this is not about her; it's about you." Draco dismissed Hermione's talk about Ginny.

"I'm not sure I get it..." Hermione's brows furrowed in confusion.

"It's simple, Granger." Draco held Hermione's gaze, "I could let you walk out of the Manor, I won't report finding you, but you'll be on your own without the minimum protection of a wand. Or you can have my child, that will provide you with all the protection you could possibly need, and I'm willing to give you that. Choice is yours." he offered, his eyes burning into hers.


	3. An Old Friend

"Malfoy, _I'm_ supposed to be the one who fell and hit her head, not you." Hermione scoffed.  
  
 _"_ I'm fully aware of what I'm saying." Draco insisted  
  
"Then you've gone completely mental! Having a child with you being my only other option makes death sound extremely tempting." Hermione scowled at him.  
  
Draco grimaced at her response. So, she wasn't his biggest fan, he knew that. But choosing death over staying with him was a slap to both his ego and his heart, one that he will take time to recover from.

"Do you really find my company worse than death?" He frowned at her.  
  
"No, your company -although not really desirable- is something I can put up with. It's having your child that's absolutely absurd. Do you even realize what having a child with somebody means? It's...it's creating life! You're not supposed to degrade such a thing by using it as a weapon! Children are supposed to grow up safe and loved. Do you really think that WE could spend a moment without being at each other's throats? " Hermione was frantic, she talked so fast that Draco had to use every ounce of his concentration to understand her words.  
  
"Do you realize how messed up a child could be if raised between such parents?" Hermione sounded like she was thinking out loud.

Draco watched Hermione closely, waiting for her to go through the panic attack he had already expected. Her eyes were gleaming furiously.  
  
"Honestly, I was really worried about that child to come, but hearing you talk about raising a child like that has eradicated my worries. You're obviously passionate about being a mother." Draco admitted.  
  
"Yes Malfoy, I'd actually like to be one. But not to your child. Not with a man who can't be a father."  
  
"What makes you think you know whether I could be a father or not?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know, maybe it's the fact that you're a Death Eater? Maybe it's because you're one of the servants of the darkest wizard of all time? Maybe because you're turning into your father?" Hermione fumed at him.  
  
Draco was furious as Hermione's last remark hit home. He strode over to Hermione and yanked her arm. "I am not anybody's servant. I am _nothing_ like my father. And I will not listen to anymore insults from you. Watch your language, Granger; you don't exactly have the upper hand in this." he hissed at her.

"See? Can you see this very moment? Now imagine a child standing by the door and witnessing that, and tell me that you are willing to do that to your own child. Because I think that even _you_ can't be that cruel." Hermione challenged.  
  
"It doesn't have to be like this." Draco sighed exasperatedly, letting go of Hermione's arm.  
  
"Yes!" Hermione nodded eagerly "It doesn't have to be like this; it doesn't have to be at all. Forget about me, do you really want to do this to yourself? When you start a family, don't you want it to be with someone that you love? Someone you chose?" Hermione reasoned with him hopefully.  
  
 _But that's exactly what I'm doing_ , Draco thought. "I don't happen to have a partner lately, and I haven't had a serious relationship in a while. Love in not on my agenda, either. So it's safe to say that I have other basis on which I choose how to start a family." he replied as diplomatically as possible.

"What are those basis? What's in it for you, Malfoy? Because I find it hard to believe that you've suddenly become concerned for my well-being. So tell me what do you gain out of this?" Hermione narrowed her eyes on him quizzically.  
  
"You make the greatest gain out of this, Granger. Your life. But of course it has something for me too. For starters, I'll be the man who caught Hermione Granger, one of the most wanted witches, this will definitely be a great boost to my position among the ranks of Death Eaters. Everything held against the Malfoy name will be disregarded. And I will do it without feeling the guilt of bringing you to your death." Draco explained. "And then of course, there's the fact that I get to be a father without going through the emotional hassle of marriage. Our marriage will be different, we will both expect very little from each other and that means less disappointment."

"Our..marriage?" Hermione repeated slowly.  
  
"Of course, no child of mine will be born out of wedlock." Draco stated matter-of-factly "But we don't have to worry about that yet; marriage will come later." he added. "So, now that we both know what we gain and what we lose, what's your choice?" he asked, holding Hermione's gaze.  
  
"No, my answer is definitely no. You said you'll let me go without reporting that you have found me, so do it. I'll put on my clothes and leave in a couple of minutes." Hermione answered confidently, running back to the bathroom before Draco could say anything.

Hermione tarried in the bathroom; she wasn't half as confident as she pretended to be. Malfoy's offer was so absurd that it didn't even deserve a second thought. He wanted a career boost and an improved social rank. He also wanted a family the easy way, which went further to prove that he didn't even understand what a family meant. The idea of Malfoy wanting to be a father was intriguing, though. Would he be a good one? Or would he just raise another Death Eater? She didn't know and she shouldn't care. She was nearly defenseless and now there was no way he could find her a wand like he had said.

But so what? Hadn't she survived worse circumstances? A lot worse, Hermione smiled bitterly. However, she was back in England now, closer to danger than ever. Death Eaters were roaming the streets and nobody would hesitate in handing her over to them, out of loyalty to Voldemort or in fear of him. Thanks to Malfoy she was now trapped in this place with no chance of escaping. Apparating had become hard for her ever since she became wandless, and thanks to those bloody regulations about cross-border apparitition she won't be able to leave.

What were her chances of survival? Hermione brooded. Was Voldemort going to kill her the minute she got caught? No, he would probably torture her into insanity first. A shiver ran through her spine.  
She had never been afraid of death...maybe a little. But what other options did she have? Live with a Death Eater and raise another one? No, definitely not, if Hermione was going to die, she would die fighting.

"Aren't there rules that prevent you from apparating across countries?" Hermione asked as she walked out of the bathroom.  
  
"To prevent _you_ , not me. I'm a Death Eater." Draco corrected.  
  
"You don't need to remind me of that." Hermione shot him a look of contempt before walking out of the door and down the stairs.

"Wait! Hermione wait!" Draco called after her, she turned around and he was flying down the stairs. What did he just call her?  
  
"Stay tonight, you can leave tomorrow." He offered . Hermione looked at the near window, it was almost dawn and she had never felt like she needed to sleep like she did now. And more than anything, she needed energy for the days that came ahead.  
  
"Alright" she nodded slightly. He led her back to the bedroom. "You can sleep here. I'll sleep in another room." he said and Hermione watched him as he walked to the far end of the corridor and enter on of the rooms.

The bed seemed so inviting, but then Hermione remembered that it was Malfoy's bed. Why was he trying to be nice? What was he playing at? It could be that he was actually feeling guilty after everything that happened to her since they lost the war. After all, Malfoy had a tiny spot of good in him, that was something she believed in ever since he had refused to kill Dumbledore. It might have been just pure cowardice, though. During the battle of Hogwarts, she almost thought he was going to fight by their side, but he ended up running away like the coward that he was. It didn't matter; he probably killed lots of other people to make up for those mistakes and that tiny spot was probably eradicated.

Now after all this, could she really trust him when he was being helpful? No! He would probably break through that door with a gang of fellow Death Eaters at any minute and she had to act fast. Hermione opened the door and tiptoed down the stairs. She was inches away from the manor's door when a house elf popped up in front of her.  
  
"Mistress cannot leave the house." the elf shook her head strongly, she was fiddling with her hands nervously. Her huge eyes looking left and right then back at Hermione.  
  
"Step away from the door, please." Hermione frowned at the little creature in front of her.  
  
" _No. No. No._ " the elf insisted, punctuating every word with a stomp of her leg. "Idgy can not let Mistress out of the house." she added sternly.  
  
Idgy sure seemed edgy, Hermione mused. She looked nice, though; her eyes were kind despite all the sternness she was trying to put into them.  
  
"Look edg...Idgy, I have to leave and please keep your voice down!" Hermione started getting edgy herself. Malfoy must have ordered Idgy to stop Hermione from leaving which only increased her suspicions about his intentions.  
  
"Mistress will have to kill Idgy to go through the door." Idgy crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at Hermione in challenge. Hermione gaped at the elf, she was horrified at the idea of what would happen if it was somebody else trying to leave the house, somebody more...lethal. An elf could actually walk into their own deaths with persistent steps just to follow their master's orders, this was brutal!

Hermione heard footsteps behind her and she turned around to see Malfoy inches away from her. He got taller, she noted as he towered over her.  
  
"You said you were staying." he quirked an eyebrow at her.  
  
"I couldn't trust you, I expect a gang of Death Eaters to be here at any minute to take me away. And this_" she pointed at Idgy "_just confirmed my doubts."  
  
"I thought you would try to leave, and I didn't want to go as far as charming the door and the windows so I decided a house elf was the perfect solution. I know you wouldn't dare lay a finger on a house elf and eventually you would give up trying." he explained. "She could be very persistent." he nodded at Idgy's direction then smirked at Hermione.  
  
"Malfoy, you utter git!" Hermione swung her fist at Malfoy's face but he ducked and avoided her punch by a few inches.

"Granger, listen_" Draco grabbed Hermione's shoulders and pulled her closer "_I am not trying to set you up, this is not some sort of trap and nobody is coming here. I just want you to stay tonight because there's something I want to talk to you about tomorrow and I couldn't be sure if you'd still be there when I wake up. That's why I told the house elf to make sure you never left the house, because I want to talk to you, not kill you!" he shook his head in frustration.  
  
"What's that something?" Hermione inquired.  
  
"Not now, I'll tell you about it tomorrow." Draco insisted.

"Fine, I'm leaving then." Hermione lifted her chin up in defiance.  
  
"Good luck with that." he twisted his mouth sardonically at her. "Idgy, Ms. Granger can only leave this house over your dead body. Stay by the door for the rest of the day." he dictated and the elf just nodded meekly.  
  
"What? That's horrible! You can't just keep her standing by the door all day long!" Hermione fumed at him.  
  
"I can, but it all depends on you. If you go back to your room and stay there until I come for you tomorrow, then Idgy's work here is done and I can send her back to the kitchen. But if you insist on leaving then I guess she's going to have a tough day ahead." Draco said.  
  
"You manipulative slimeball!" Hermione hissed at him. He stood there impassively, looking at her. Hermione's eyes kept travelling between Malfoy who gazed at her blankly and Idgy who seemed unaffected by her master's recent orders, as if she was used to such rubbish from him.  
  
"Fine, I'm staying." Hermione huffed "But you'd better be quick, Malfoy because if by noon you didn't say what is it that you want from me I'll leave without a backward glance." she warned. Draco nodded his head in acknowledgment and ordered Idgy to go back to the kitchen, to Hermione's great relief.

Hermione slept like her life depended on it, and somehow it did. She woke up unaware of the time, only aware that every muscle in her body was eternally grateful for the choice she had made the previous night. Her stomach grumbled as she headed to the bathroom. When she came out of it after a while, something delicious teased her nostrils and Hermione thought hunger was making her imagine things. She wasn't though, a tray of breakfast sat next to her bed and Hermione had her first decent meal in a long while. As she ate breakfast her thoughts drifted back to breakfast at the burrow, she smiled ruefully as one happy memory after the other made their way through her mind.

There was a barely audible knock at the door and Hermione thought it was one of the house elves. She opened the door to find Malfoy instead.  
  
"Good morning" he smiled at her as he entered the room without waiting for permission. _Of course it was his room but some little manners wouldn't hurt_ , Hermione frowned.  
  
"How did you like the room?" he asked.  
  
"It was..I don't know it didn't seem really yours." Hermione admitted.  
  
"Not enough green?" he raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Yes, that." she replied.  
  
"There's a common misconception that Slytherins cover their world in every shade of green that ever existed. That's not true, I happen to like other colors as well." he said.  
  
"Maybe, I just didn't imagine your room to look like this." Hermione replied nonchalantly.  
  
"And you were imagining my room because?" Draco grinned mischievously at her.  
  
"Malfoy, if you didn't come here to tell me about whatever you were talking about last night then shut your conceited mouth up." Hermione glared at him.  
  
"Well, it's not exactly me, but there's somebody that wants to see you." Draco announced "And no, it's _not_ the Dark Lord." he added at the look of horror that flashed over her face.  
  
"Who is it?" she eyed him suspiciously. "Just come!" Draco grabbed her hand impatiently and urged her outside the room. She stood at the top of the stairs as she recognized who her guest was.  
  
" _Ginny!_ " Hermione squealed as she flew down the stairs.


	4. An Offer She Can't Refuse

Hermione was jumping two steps at a time. When she was close enough she almost knocked Ginny to the floor, hugging her as if her life depending on it. They sat down on the nearest sofa.

"Alright, first things first, are you actually pregnant?" Hermione studied Ginny from head to toe, knowing the answer for her question already.

"As pregnant as it gets." Ginny nodded.

"Zabini.. _Blaise Zabini_..out of the entire male population, Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"It's a long story, pretty complicated too." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Oh I have time, lots of it. So maybe start by telling me _for the love of Merlin_ what were you thinking!" Hermione exclaimed

Ginny glanced over Hermione shoulder and Hermione looked back to find Malfoy standing there witnessing their conversation.

"Would I be pushing my luck too far if I told you to leave us alone?' Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

"Far, but not too far." Draco inclined his head slightly before going back to his room.

"Where do I start?" Ginny looked up for a minute trying to sort her thoughts out. "You see, things have become very different ever since you..left."

"Skip that part I've already heard it several times now. What made you do it Ginny?" Hermione rested her hand on Ginny's arm and looked at her sympathetically

"Were you forced?" she asked.

"No...not really. I had very little other options yes, but I wasn't exactly forced...not me." Ginny smiled weakly.

"What do you mean not you?" Hermione looked puzzled.

"I mean..I think I was the one who..sort of forced Blaise into this." Ginny clarified.

"I'm really trying to convince myself that I'm mishearing things because I hit my head." Hermione closed her eyes.

"Alright, first I want to tell you how everybody is doing." Ginny said "Charlie is confined to Romania; he's not allowed to come back here neither are we allowed to at least owl him. Our post is under surveillance. However, we hear from him sometimes. Every once in a while, when one of his colleagues is here in England he passes by to let us know he's okay." she informed. Hermione nodded silently at her.

"Percy tried to find a job at the ministry but we aren't allowed such jobs because they...doubt our loyalty" Ginny snorted. "He was becoming more frustrated everyday, he would fight with dad almost every hour and I started losing my ability to put an end to their fights, eventually he said he was leaving and he did." she frowned "We don't know whether he managed to ever leave England or..or got killed while trying to escape, we don't know yet but we never heard from him, that was 3 years ago."  
"Then there's Bill and Fleur. They fled the country right after the war, before the restriction orders against our family were made so the Death Eaters are still trying to track them. Mum is with them, we had to physically force her onto Bill's broomstick; she was so reluctant to leave. They went to France first but then the French Death Eaters found them, they had a fight and Fleur was injured but they managed to escape." Ginny said.

"The..French Death Eaters?" Hermione repeated.

"Yes, there are some of them everywhere now." Ginny nodded.

"When I was in Germany I found some, that was the reason I couldn't stay there. There weren't any in Australia, though." Hermione looked distracted as she remembered her memories in the different countries.

"You went to Germany..and Australia? How?" Ginny frowned in bewilderment.

"Muggle ways, they were much easier than risking being caught if I tried to apparate or fly. It wasn't very easy, though; I lost my passport so..." Hermione started to explain but stopped when Ginny's frown deepened. "Just some Muggle stuff, never mind them. Continue." she waved her hand indifferently.

"So, Bill, Fleur and mum escaped to Egypt. But Bill was becoming suspicious of one of his colleagues and he decided not to risk being caught again. They moved to Morocco. Bill usually sends some news with any of his colleagues or one of Fleur's family members. We got news from them last month actually. They're doing fine, their Victoire is keeping mum busy but she's becoming so possessive of her and it's driving Fleur mad!" Ginny chuckled mischievously and Hermione couldn't help but grin back. She could definitely imagine Molly as a protective grandmother.

"And...umm..Ron, he.." Ginny mumbled fidgeting in her chair.

"No." Hermione raised her hand in a motion to stop her. "I know about Ron." she looked at her linked fingers as they lay idly in her lap. She knew all about Ron and how he was imprisoned right after the battle. They held a trial for him where he refused pledge loyalty to Voldemort and got killed as a result. Hermione had never been proud of her friend the way she was proud now, She smiled ruefully.

"All that was left was Dad, George and me. George had the best spirit, he continued his business but then he came up with this...this toy. It's some sort of a Jack In The Box. A skull shaped box, you tap it with your wand and a snake jumps out of it, wearing a hat similar to the one Peeves wore." Ginny smiled at the thought.  
"He called it 'Mrs. Mordre' which obviously enraged you-know-who and his followers so they raided the shop and left it wrecked. George got injured, in his arm I think but he escaped from them."

"When I heard he was injured I was furious. I went directly to his shop but he had already escaped. Yet, some of the Death Eaters were still there. And I heard one of them bragging about how his curse hit George right in the arm." Ginny grimaced as her eyes gleamed with cold fury at the memory.  
"I couldn't help it, so I stunned him...my curse hit him right in the chest." she smirked proudly.

"But they were six and I was one, they started attacking so I ran away. I didn't want to go back home so they won't hurt dad, so I started running around the streets aimlessly and they followed me. One of them attacked me and took my wand, and I realized that if I stopped and tried to take it back from him, then I'm definitely dead. So I ran away and hid in the nearest house, it was abandoned and filthy and I thought they won't search for me there...I was wrong." her mouth curved bitterly.

"I heard them enter the house and then footsteps were approaching the room I was in. I hid behind the curtain and wished for the best; I didn't have anywhere else to hide. Then somebody entered the room and he walked around a little before standing right in front of the curtain. He moved it and I found Blaise standing in front of me."Ginny took a deep breath as she remembered the panic that washed over her in that moment.

"I panicked and tried to punch him but he caught my hand and covered my mouth with his other hand. Somebody asked him if he had found something and he just said there was nothing in that room, turned around and left." she shook her head as if she still didn't believe what had happened. Hermione's mouth fell open and she angled her head down as she looked at Ginny.

"You think that's confusing? After they left, I decided I can't go back home in fear that they would be waiting for me so I decided to leave the house and try to find a wand since I was probably never getting my wand back. But when I went downstairs my wand was right there at the bottom of the stairs!" Ginny raised her hands up in a puzzled motion.

"I dressed myself in rags and tatters and left the house. I heard people talking about what happened, they said there was going to be a trial for the three of us then I realized they found George. I walked to our house and there seemed to be no Death Eaters around so I apparated inside. Dad was sitting by George's bed and they were talking about said trial." Ginny said.

"Dad said that if we wanted to survive the trial then we had to pretend. Deny any loyalty to Harry and claim we have given into the..new regime." Ginny grimaced in disgust. "George and I were reluctant but we eventually agreed. But then George told me he was going to run away after the trial, he knew where Dean Thomas was and was going to join him. He asked me not to tell Dad so he won't try to stop him." she added.

"But why would George leave you in such circumstances?" Hermione asked after a while of silently listening and nodding.

"He wasn't trying to leave us out of fear, Hermione" Ginny shook her head "He was losing his patience, and when they wrecked the shop he had shared with Fred, it enraged him, He decided that he didn't want to feel helpless anymore so he was going to try and reach Dean and fight along with the rest of the insurgents." she explained.

"So then I did something _really_ mad." Ginny bit her lower lip.

"Something, Ginny? Just one thing?" Hermione mocked.

"I went to see Blaise" Ginny said, ignoring Hermione's sarcasm.

"But why?" Hermione sighed in frustration.

"Well he did actually help me. He denied my existence and I'm pretty sure that wand didn't just fall from the other Death Eater's hand. Anyway, I thought that if he helped me once maybe he could help me twice. I wanted to leave with George and take dad with us. George was right, staying in such circumstances pointless, we needed to do something like the others were trying to." Ginny reasoned with Hermione

"So I went to his house and waited for him until he came back, it was a rather odd encounter actually_" Ginny frowned "_ we were holding wands against each other's throats." her mouth twisted.

"He refused to say why he helped me but he also said that this wasn't a real trial and whatever I said the result was still the same, I was going to receive a death sentence. The trial was only a cover to kill me without causing the other pure blood families to feel threatened. Then he said something that triggered all this, he said that unless I found a Death Eater _generous enough to touch me_ then death was inevitable for me." Ginny said and it was Hermione's turn to grimace in disgust.

"I returned home that day to find that we received an owl from the ministry informing us of a trial within two days. Dad kept begging us to deny loyalty to Harry in the trial. He said we were the only family he had left and he...he cried." a pained expression crossed Ginny's face and her voice trailed off.

"When I went home that day I was thinking I wasn't afraid of death, but then I saw how dad was like and I realized he was only surviving all this because he had me and George. If something happened to us, I don't think he was going to survive any longer." her voice was barely audible as if she was speaking to herself.

"I thought that maybe if I died George would find more reasons to leave, and that would mean either leaving Dad behind or Dad trying to stop him which will eventually lead into the first option: leaving Dad behind. There were lots of other scenarios, but I couldn't fathom any of them. Honestly, I was almost sure George wasn't going to survive his planned escape. "Ginny shook her head as a shiver ran through her body.

"And what Blaise said kept echoing in my head; I knew what he meant, but I never thought about it. There's this law.." Ginny started to speak but Hermione interrupted her.

"Malfoy told me about it" Hermione said. "So you decided to throw yourself in hell willingly?" she added.

"Wouldn't you do the same for your own family?" Ginny asked.

"I think I would" Hermione conceded.

"I thought so." Ginny smiled briefly at Hermione "So, I have to admit part of why I chose Blaise was purely to get back at him. Some sort of, if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me." Ginny confided. "The other part was what he did in the abandoned house" she inclined her head.

"I then went to his house again and..umm..." Ginny looked down as she tucked her hair behind her ear "I..sort of..pounced on him." she stammered as color flooded her cheeks.

"Ginny!" Hermione gasped incredulously.

"I know! I'm not really proud of it, alright?" Ginny rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Anyway, after we...I mean..later on, he tried to catch me but I was faster than him. You know that quote about how girls with their skirts up are faster than boys with their trousers down?" Ginny grinned at her.

"Ginny! You've become really bawdy!" Hermione fought to maintain a serious expression.

"Come on, it was just a metaphor!" Ginny feigned innocence.

"So I ran away that day and payed dad a brief visit telling him that I was going to hide for a while. I couldn't tell him why but I think he trusted me enough to let me go. He had so much faith in me, he said he trusted that I was the only one who would never leave his side, and it only made me more determined on what I was doing" she said.

"I had to wait for 21 days until I could perform a pregnancy spell. Not the best days of my life, I have to admit." Ginny stood up and started to walk, "sitting down for a long time can be very irritating" she explained when she saw Hermione looking at her in bewilderment.

"I think you already know how things went on from that point. I knew I was pregnant, I returned home and the next day there was a trial and...I guess Malfoy told you about that." Ginny shrugged. "Living with Blaise its up sides, though" she added.

"I'm sure he's great at small talk, is he a flowers and chocolate sort of guy too?" Hermione smiled innocently at Ginny.

"No he just looks like one." Ginny retorted playfully. "That's not the sort of up sides I was talking about. His owls aren't being inspected so I get to send letters to mum and Charlie every now and then. They seem to be able to get more information about the others." she clarified.

"Like around a week ago, I heard Blaise talking to somebody, they said they have found Neville in Australia and they were heading there to capture him. I sent an owl to Charlie and he managed to pass the news to Neville through the family of one of his colleagues who lived in Australia. If I didn't hear what Blaise said, they might have had Neville by now." Ginny's voice came out laced in pride.

"You know, Malfoy just offered me the same...situation" Hermione informed.

"And what did you say?" Ginny asked, seemingly not surprised by what Hermione just said.

"Seriously Ginny? Isn't the answer obvious? I declined of course" Hermione answered.

"Well, whatever your decision is, I want you to know I fully support you," Ginny patted Hermione's shoulder, "but if you're going to leave make it soon because you've become some sort of a...prize. A lot of people are determined on finding you" she advised.

"I know, I'll try to leave England as soon as I could" Hermione nodded.

"Is there anything I could do to help?" Ginny asked eagerly.

"Well, I really need a wand" Hermione requested.

"A wand..yes..lots of Muggle-borns got their wands confiscated lately. I'm not sure if I can find you a decent one but I'll do my bes," Ginny promised. "What are going to do after that?" She added.

"Same thing I've been doing for years. Try to survive" Hermione smiled briefly at her friend. "I haven't said congratulations yet!" She squealed when her eyes traced Ginny's hand as she pressed it against her belly.

"Despite everything, I'm really happy about it" Ginny's smile widened. She hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether or not she should say it but she eventually spoke "You know, I believe part of why I did that was because I was really desperate to be a mother. Do you know that feeling?"  
Hermione's smile faltered, she did. She most definitely did know what wanting to be a mother felt like. She always had that dream and although it became impossible by every day, she never stopped thinking about it.

"I know. I'd love to be one myself. But not a Death Eater's mother" Hermione shook her head.

"Oh I won't be one. I won't raise a Death Eater. I will raise a future member of the Order" Ginny looked at Hermione with determined eyes.  
"I really feel like I'm doing something at last. I've been idle for too long, doing absolutely nothing to help the order. Now with that new security I'm having, I'm much more useful for them. I don't think I've ever felt so optimistic since Harry had died." Ginny's smile faded at the memory of Harry, but she hid it quickly.

"Anyway, Malfoy told me he found you in Australia, were you seeing your parents?" Ginny prompted.

"Yes, I barely saw them but they seemed happy and that was good enough" Hermione replied.

"And what have you been doing all those years?" Ginny proceeded.

Hours had passed before Hermione was done recounting her unfortunate adventures in several countries. When she was finally done, Ginny excused herself saying she needed to see her dad and then get some rest. They said their goodbyes and Ginny pleaded with her not to leave without telling her where she was going and Hermione promised she would. Whether or not she could be able to keep her promise was still unknown to Hermione.  
Her head felt like it had been set on fire. It was crowded with thoughts, conflicting and persistent ones. She was being pestered by her own thoughts and desperately needed a moment of peace. She ran back to the room before Malfoy could notice, entered the adjoined bathroom and closed the door behind her.

She watched the water flow as she deftly took off her clothes. When she stepped into the the bathtub she submerged her head under the water for as long as she could. Desperately, she willed all of Ginny's words out of her head as they kept echoing in it repeatedly.  
A sharp knock on the door followed by another one snapped Hermione out of her trance. She looked at her fingers and they were wrinkled and she couldn't tell how long had she been napping there.

Hermione put on a bathrobe and opened the door to find Malfoy.

"I was starting to seriously consider bursting the door open" Draco admitted.

"Of course you were! How dare I not answer the door the minute you knock?" Hermione scowled at him.

"This was the tenth time I knock that door" Draco informed dryly.

"I didn't hear you" Hermione dismissed.

"I figured that out," he twisted his mouth at her sardonically, "Ginevra stayed for quite a while" he remarked.

"We apologize for abusing your hospitality" Hermione gave him a fake smile.

"Apology accepted" he smirked at her.

"I suppose you're leaving now?" He raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Umm..I don't think so" Hermione mumbled.

"I beg your pardon?" Draco cocked his head slightly forward.

"That..offer you made...I'm taking it" Hermione raised her chin up, crossing her arms across her chest.


	5. Unfinished Business

Draco narrowed his eyes on Hermione, he studied her intently for a while before speaking.

"What are you playing at, Granger?" He quirked a suspicious eyebrow at her.

"There are no games. You made me an offer and I took it." Hermione replied simply.

"Yes, but if my memory doesn't betray me, I think you have already said death was more appealing to you than accepting it." he said.

"I changed my mind." she shrugged.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well..I decided that I don't want to live on the run anymore. I could use some rest. And I already told you I do want to be a mother." Hermione explained. She looked away and tried to steal a deep breath away from Malfoy's intense gaze.

Hermione fought to maintain her indifferent attitude. The inner turmoil she had been going through ever since she had talked to Ginny was proving hard to hide.  
She had taken part in the war when she was younger, knowing that she was putting everything she had on stake. When they lost it, she consequently lost everything she had. Some of her most basic rights were taken away from her. Even going back to live with her parents wasn't an option and more than anything she longed to hug her mother.

She had spent the past years avoiding being captured. Every once in a while she would hear news about other insurgents, she heard people talk about her sometimes, saying she was one of the leaders of the insurgents. But Hermione knew she was doing absolutely nothing to be one of them. She had met Dean Thomas around two years ago in a forest in Scotland. He was being chased, she did her best to help him and got injured in the process but he managed to escape. She stayed in that forest for weeks, hoping that he would come back but he never did and she didn't know whether they found him again or not, eventually she left.  
But aside from that single incident, Hermione wasn't able to assist her friends any further.

Then she saw Ginny, heard the pride in her voice as she recounted how she was the reason behind the failure of Neville's capture attempt. She saw the excited gleam in her eyes and realized that it had been years since she herself felt any of those feelings. She was desperate to have that back, she wanted to fight again even if the fighting this time didn't include duels. Why offer herself as an easy prey to Voldemort when she can still fight him? If Ginny, George, Dean, Luna and Neville were all doing it among others, then why shouldn't she fight? If all those people still believed in the cause they once battled for, didn't she owe it to them, to herself, and to those of them who died for it, to at least try her best?  
A flame of hope made its way to Hermione's heart for the first time in years and she hung onto it tightly. She was going to fight Voldemort, from within his own den.

A hand waved at Hermione's face, snapping her out of her deep thought.

"What?" she frowned briefly.

"Have you even been listening to me?" Draco demanded. Hermione shook her head in response.

"I said you were lying, and I don't believe a word of what you just said." Draco challenged. "But that's alright; I'll figure out your reasons later on." he shrugged.

"So we have an agreement then?" Hermione asked.

"I guess." Draco replied, eyeing her with uncertainty.

"Shouldn't we..umm..come with some..guidelines. Like, what are we going to do?" Hermione sat down on a chair, clutching her bathrobe tightly.

"Well..honestly, I didn't expect you to agree so I didn't give it much thought." Draco admitted.

"I did, so maybe you should start thinking in the light of recent events." Hermione advised dryly.

"Okay, for starters you can't let people see you until you're pregnant. It's supposed to be an accident." Draco said "Something along the lines of, I was on one of my missions and I found you. It was a one night stand and you ran away before I realized it. Then you suddenly showed up saying you were pregnant." he looked like he was making up the story as he spoke.

"Oh what a brilliant idea! I'm sure you-know-who will be very proud of you when he knows you found me and instead of bringing me back to him you decided to indulge yourself in some fantasy instead!" Hermione scoffed.

Draco frowned at her, he wanted to argue but he realized she had a point. "Polyjuice potion!" he said suddenly.

"What?" Hermione frowned at him.

"We'll say you had Polyjuice potion and disguised as some random woman. I passed by an inn, you were there and when you saw me you panicked. You had Polyjuice potion with you for emergencies and this was one. Then..." Draco was so absorbed in creating his story, when he looked at Hermione she was gaping at him.  
" _What?_ " he frowned at her.

"Your talent at weaving lies so easily is...scary." she grimaced at him, not trying to hide the disdain in her voice.

"My _talent_ is is what's going to provide us with a decent story; the Dark lord isn't stupid." he informed dryly.

"Spare me a session of singing your lord's praises, please. I might throw up." Hermione twisted her mouth in disgust.

"Stating the obvious is hardly considered singing praises, Granger." Draco remarked impatiently.

Less than an hour had passed before Draco and Hermione finally reached an agreement. She didn't like Draco's story one bit and found it demeaning, but convincing nonetheless. She had been lengthening their conversation as much as possible to avoid what they have been dancing around for quite a while.

"Alright_" Hermione said as she stood up "_let's get this over with." she took a deep breath before she started fiddling with the knot of her bathrobe with shaky fingers.

Draco's hand covered hers instantly. "What are you doing?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I just told you." Hermione cleared her throat. "The sooner we're done with this, the better." she added.

"Get it over with..the sooner the better...do you really have to sound so eager?" he scoffed.

"I don't thi.." Hermione started to object but Draco interrupted her.

"This_" he hissed "_is exactly the sort of attitude that's guaranteed to send a man running out of your bedroom in the blink of an eye."

" _Come on_! Be mature about it!" Hermione huffed "Twenty one days of waiting are long enough, so I want them to start as soon as possible." she added.

Draco squeezed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger "Why are you so determined on making the worst out of this situation?" he sighed in frustration.

"You're overreacting, Malfoy. I really can't see why you're making a big deal out of this." Hermione shrugged "We are two mature adults who have a mutual goal and there's only one way to achieve it so..." Hermione went on with her eloquent speech.

"Will you _stop_ talking like that!" Draco fumed at her.

"Like what?" Hermione frowned at him.

"Like you're lecturing a group of students! This should be 'two consenting adults'" he corrected her. "And lying submissively on bed, pretending to be the coerced virgin doesn't really count as consent." he smirked.

"What do you expect me to do, Malfoy? Seduce you?" she scoffed.

"You can't seduce anybody even if your life depended on it." he smirked at her. "What I'm saying is, Granger, rape was never a fancy of mine. So if you have a thing for it, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you." he added impassively before leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.

Hermione had never been so tempted to inflict physical harm on Malfoy before. She hated how non of this seemed to affect him the way it was affecting her. For him it was all going according to his plan and for somebody with the morals of an alley cat like Malfoy it was hard to expect him to understand her reluctance.  
Not sure if she could bear his company again anytime soon, Hermione decided to spend the rest of the day in the room. Yet, the mere fact that this room was his was irritating her. She could smell his scent on the bed and it suffocated her.  
The night had fallen when she heard a knock at the door. Hermione opened expecting Idgy again since she seemed responsible for her, bringing her meals and cleaning her clothes for her. Instead, Malfoy was once more standing by the door.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"That's a first." Hermione smirked at him.

"I'm not usually in the habit of asking for permission to enter my own room." he said dryly.

Hermione noticed that he wasn't dressed as formal as usually did. Even at school he looked too immaculate for a young boy. His choice of colors was as dark as ever, though, a grey t-shirt paired with a pair of black trousers; colors were definitely not his strength point.

"What do you want?" Hermione asked directly, too exhausted to try and gauge Malfoy's intentions.

"I want to talk to you;_" he shrugged "_last time we did it didn't end up well." he added.

"It didn't because you were being childish." Hermione frowned at him.

"I understand that you might be unnerved by the whole situation, so maybe we should talk about it more. Like, tell me what's worrying you." he sat on a chair, crossing his legs.

"What's worrying me!" Hermione scoffed "What's not to worry about? I don't trust you one bit. I'm trapped here with very little options. You're using me for some plan of yours. And unlike you, Malfoy, I have morals that make it hard for me to have random sex!" Hermione fired one reason after the other at him.

"First, you did have a choice and you made one. Second, we're both using each other for our own reasons so don't victimize yourself; it really doesn't suit you." Draco replied calmly. "And please do tell me about those morals of yours that made you offer yourself hours ago like a human sacrifice about to be thrown into an erupting volcano." he twisted his mouth at her.

Hermione wanted to say something back but she was too disoriented by the whole situation that she needed a moment of peace to re-arrange her thoughts. She turned her back to him and stared out of the window.

"You think too much." Draco said quietly. She hadn't realized he had moved until he was standing right behind her.

"Even if I wanted to turn off my mind, every survival instinct in me would scream otherwise." Hermione admitted

"I didn't say you should turn it off. I'm just suggesting that you slow it down." Draco corrected

"Why should I?" she asked

"So you'd stop worrying about every single detail." he replied

"I have to. This is not just your promotion or your commitment issues or even my life we're talking about. We're involving a third person in this. A child, who has absolutely no choice over who his parents will be. Do you actually think you'd be a good father? I very much doubt it." she looked at him with challenging eyes.

"How can you judge such a thing when you don't even know me?" he sighed exasperatedly.

"I know enough, your..job alone is enough evidence." she lifted her chin up.

"But what if that's the point? What if my job as you refer to it and my upbringing are exactly the reason why I would be a good father. I've seen enough mistakes that I don't plan on repeating." Draco reasoned with her.

"It could be, but the question is, can I trust you enough to believe what you just said? My answer is no." she shook her head at him.

"What should I do to prove your answer is wrong?" his brows furrowed in frustration

"Nothing in particular, time will show your true colors." she shrugged.

"Alright, so time is responsible for that part. Now to the random sex part." he inclined his head to the right.

Hermione blinked at Malfoy's words, saying it was one thing, hearing it from him was another.

"I really can't see why you're making a big deal out of this." she huffed

"Because it _is_ big. Are you actually trying to tell me that you prefer a brief rape-like session than the real thing?" he quirked an eyebrow at her.

Hermione wished if he would take a couple of steps back. He was standing too close for her comfort and talking to him about such a subject made the space between them seem a lot less than it originally was. She wanted to move away or push him back but she couldn't let him see that she was uncomfortable with this; if she did, he would use it against her.

"That's not what I'm saying." Hermione mumbled.

"Then it's settled, you just have a problem with the randomness part, we could fix that."

Hermione looked at him in confusion. As if hearing her recent thoughts, he acted exactly against them, stepping even closer to her. "Just let me...know you." his statement was something between an order and a plead.

"I don't think it's nece.." Hermione cleared her throat and started to speak.

"Afraid, Granger?" he smirked at her.

"What? Of what?" Hermione scowled at him

"Of actually liking it." he raised a challenging eyebrow at her.

"That's not even.." Hermione words were lost in Draco's kiss. He pressed his lips against hers, the tip of his tongue cajoling her pursed lips into compliance. When she finally gave into the pressure, a jolt of electricity shot into Hermione's brain as Draco's tongue chased hers.  
He tilted his head further to one side as his hand cupped the nape of Hermione's neck.  
He was barely aware of his other hand digging marks into her waist through the flimsy fabric of her shirt. When the kiss was eventually over, they were both gasping for air.

Draco looked at Hermione for a moment, taking her hand, he led her back to the bed. She stood by the bed staring at him with wide eyes and Draco pushed her back gently. She sat on the bed for a minute before moving up and resting her head at the pillow.  
He deftly got rid of his shoes, followed by his socks before climbing into bed. He lay on his side, bracing himself on his forearm.

Draco noticed that Hermione had stiffened, her parted lips once again pursed. He reached for the side of her neck, his thumb tracing one throbbing vein.

"Relax." he advised, bending his head down and trapping her lower lip between his teeth.

"I just want to_" he murmured against her lips "_explore." he whispered as he moved his lips to her ear. Hermione could feel his lips curving against her neck into the familiar smirk.

He spent quite a while pressing brief kisses along her neck, her forehead and her jawline, then some less brief ones on her lips. He touched her nose with tip of his finger before replacing the latter with his lips.  
Hermione shuddered and Draco looked down at her "You like this?" he asked. Repeating his action, he smiled when Hermione shuddered once more.

Hermione wanted to fight it, to pretend non of this was affecting her but she was fighting for a lost cause. She pressed her hand against Draco's chest in what started as an attempt to push him off. But his body felt warm and her hand splayed over his chest looked so right. She moved her hand further down and slid it beneath his t-shirt.

The gesture couldn't have come fast enough for Draco, the moment he felt Hermione's hand move against his stomach, he pushed himself up and slid his t-shirt over his head, throwing it carelessly to the floor.  
Hermione's gaze traveled from the hem of his trousers and all the way up to his throat. She saw it move as he swallowed hard and she looked up to find him staring at her intently.  
He bent down once more, his tongue sliding along Hermione's throat.

"You have a sensitive spot_" he murmured as he bit gently at the hollow of her throat "_right here" he added when Hermione let out a soft moan.

He moved away from her enough to see her clearly. He moved his hand to the first button of her shirt and undid it then he looked up at her, waiting for her reaction. Hermione bit her lower lip, letting out a small sigh that gave Draco all the confirmation he needed. With deft fingers, he undid the rest of her buttons.  
He placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her up, she took off the shirt and held it against her chest. Draco moved closer to kiss her, pushing her back to the bed as he did. His hand slid between them, pulling the shirt out of Hermione's hands and sending it to follow his. He slipped his hand behind her back, fiddling with the clasp of her bra as he left a trail of kisses along her shoulders.

Draco frowned in frustration as the clasp kept defying him, but Hermione raised herself up briefly, allowing him better access to it. He almost let out a cheer of triumph when he finally got rid of the wretched bra. Draco took a deep breath as he watched the new view intently.

Hermione could feel her breasts tightening under Draco's gaze. He watched her for too long, his gaze lingered on her breasts and she started to become self-conscious. She moved her arm to cover herself up but Draco caught it, raising it to his mouth, he pressed his lips against her wrist. He let go of her hand and Hermione nearly let it fall to her side.

He bent his head down to her stomach, burning random kisses allover it, his tongue traced her belly button. Then he moved up, pressing his lips gently over one soft mound while his hand kneaded the other. Hermione gasped at the new attention she was receiving, Draco's soft kisses turned into bites. He flicked the tip of his tongue over one hard peak then sucked it in before his teeth grazed the other.  
It felt like every inch of her body was being marked by him, when her breasts couldn't take anymore teasing, her moans started to get louder. Draco raised himself up once more, fiddling with the button of her jeans. This time he didn't wait for her assurance, he undid the zip and pulled the trousers along with her underwear down her legs with one swift movement.

Draco sat upright, he took two pillows and placed them next to Hermione's head. He pulled her up and pushed her back against the pillows. She looked at him, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"I want you to watch" his eyes gleamed mischievously.

Before Hermione could ask what he meant, she got her answer. Draco moved down, much further down. He took hold of one ankle, sliding it up the bed, before doing the same to the other one. With both knees bent Hermione watched, mesmerized, as Draco grinned at her before bending his head down.  
She felt his lips pressing against her then a wave of electricity ran through her as she felt his tongue exploring her so intimately. It paced her soft folds back and forth, building up the anticipation an extra notch with every glide. Hermione ran her fingers through Draco's hair, pushing him down against her.

Draco felt Hermione's hand glide through his hair, tugging at it almost painfully then she started pulling him into her. His teeth grazed her sensitive bud lightly, earning him a loud groan from her. He reveled in the way she tasted as his tongue coaxed her into surrender.  
He raised his head slightly to catch his breath and looked up at her to find her staring at him, her pupils dilated and her lips slightly parted, her chest rose and fell with every gasp of air she took.

Her body started writhing and Draco knew she was close, he intensified the attention he was giving her, putting his lips, his tongue and even his teeth into work as his fingers dug into her thighs.  
Hermione felt like she could combust if Draco kept that pace for any longer. Then she felt it, her stomach tightened as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her, she arched her back and let out a guttural groan. It felt like she was in a trance, her mind was numb, her vision blurred and she could feel every cell of her body throbbing.

She felt Draco's hand skim against her stomach, lingering on her breasts then his lips covered hers. She could taste herself on his lips then he started to raise his head, she wanted to cup the nape of his neck and pull him back but her muscles were too loose to move.

Hermione felt the bed move, she blinked repeatedly to clear her vision, she looked next to her and saw Draco getting out of bed.

"What?" she mumbled as a confused frown furrowed her brows. Draco walked around the bed and bent his head and pressed his lips against the tip of her nose.

"Goodnight" he whispered before turning around, not caring to retrieve his t-shirt or his shoes he closed the door behind him.


	6. Fashion Disaster

It took Hermione some time to fully open her eyes and take in her sunlit surroundings. She recalled last night's events and fury started to slowly crawl over her. She got off the bed, it took her a moment to balance herself on uncooperative legs. She scanned the room, looking for her clothes until she found them piled on the floor. She picked them up hastily trying to ignore the grey t-shirt that lay next to them.

As she headed to the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the full length mirror that sat in a corner of the room. She stepped closer to the mirror and studied her reflection. Her hair was flying everywhere and she realized it was the first time for her to let it down in a long while. She usually wore it in a pony tail, a bun or at very rare occasions when she had time, she braided it. Anything that stopped it from looking the way it looked now was good enough for her.

She bit her lower lip inattentively but instantly winced and let go of it. She raised her hand and traced her lips with her fingers, inspecting them for any possible bruises but they were only too tender. The only bruises on her were the ones Malfoy's fingers had left on her thighs. Hermione angled her leg slightly to get a better look at them. It felt like she was marked by Malfoy and it enraged her more than anything that happened last night.

She took a long shower, before trying to tame her hair as much as possible. She put on her crumpled shirt and let out a deep groan of annoyance when she smelled Malfoy's scent on it, her jeans followed. She went out of the bathroom and picked up the shoes and t-shirt he had carelessly scattered allover the floor. Not bothering to find her own shoes, Hermione descended the stairs barefoot.

She found him in the dinning room, having breakfast so calmly like he didn't have a care in the world. He looked up at her and smiled "Good morni..." he started to say, but was interrupted by one of his shoes flying at him. He ducked his head and the shoe flew right above it. He stood up wide-eyed with shock and Hermione threw the other shoe at him, he moved out of its way and it missed him by a few inches.  
He was walking towards Hermione as she was stomping towards him. She threw the t-shirt at his face and he caught it only to throw it away again.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he hissed at her.

" _Me!_ " she scoffed "I should be the one who's asking that question, Malfoy." she glared at him.

"Nothing's wrong with me. At least nothing was, a minute ago!" he stared at her incredulously. "What's your problem?" he asked.

"My problem can be summed up in ' _you'_. What do you think you're doing?" Hermione fumed at him.

"I really wasn't doing anything. I didn't know the fact that I was peacefully having breakfast could upset you so much." his brows drew together in confusion.

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it." she narrowed her eyes on him.

"Then I have no idea what you're talking about." he shrugged.

"Care to explain what happened last night?" Hermione demanded.

A knowing gleam flashed through his eyes briefly before he spoke "Last night was pretty eventful, be specific." he feigned innocence.

"Malfoy stop playing games!" she barked at him. "I'm talking about your...your...your molestation." she stammered.

"My _what_?" Draco gave a short harsh laugh. " _My molestation_?" he grabbed Hermione's arm and slammed her against him. She tried to free her arm from his grip and when she failed she punched his shoulder with all the force in her.

"Let go of me." she ordered.

"No, no_" he shook his head "_let's first recount the molestation part." his voice was laced in cold fury.

"If my memory doesn't betray me, you seemed to _thoroughly_ enjoy it." he smiled cruelly at her.

"Shut up." Hermione glared at him

" _However_ , my favorite part was where you molested me back." he smirked at her.

"Malfoy I swear if you don't shut up..." she started to say before he interrupted her.

"Because, you see, I'm pretty sure the hand snaking beneath my t-shirt wasn't mine." he raised a mocking eyebrow at her.

"My arm" Hermione winced and Draco realized he was tightening his grip on her arm, when he heard her pained voice he instantly let go of it.

"So don't you dare pretend that you were forced at any point of this." the sarcasm in his voice was gone, replaced with cold seriousness. He turned around and left the room, Hermione followed expecting him to climb the stairs back to his room, but instead he was walking towards the manor's door.

"Where are you going?" She asked

"I happen to have a job." Draco remarked dryly "Let's hope I don't molest any of the women I work with." he twisted his mouth in disgust.

"I still haven't finished talking to you." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.

"Too bad; I don't think I'd fancy talking to you anytime soon." he dismissed her then walked out of the door before she had a chance to say anything else.

Hermione retired to Malfoy's room, having absolutely nothing else to do, she spent her time over-thinking the matters. So maybe calling what happened last night molestation wasn't exactly accurate. She cursed herself for letting Malfoy digress their conversation from the main subject which was why he did it into what it should be called.

She needed to make some rules and make them clear for him. It was not going to be the most comfortable conversation for her but they had to have it sooner or later. Barely two hours had passed when she heard Malfoy's voice downstairs. She opened the door and poked her head out to listen, he seemed to be talking to one of the house elves, when she was sure nobody was with him she went downstairs.

"You have the most luxurious job ever! It had been less than two hours and you're already back." Hermione mused

"Actually I came back early for you. I realized you're not familiar with the manor yet and being confined to one room can be very boring." he said

"How considerate of you!" she exclaimed with fake surprise.

"I know, right! Molesting women by night, caring for their welfare by day. Such a contradictory character, don't you think?" he smirked at her.

"You _are_ a very contradictory character." Hermione confirmed matter-of-factly

"Let me show you around." he offered, ignoring her last remark.

Hermione followed Malfoy as he showed her room after room, explaining the function of each one. _Too many rooms for such a small family_ , she thought.

"This room is my mother's." he said as he stood in front of the closed door. "She keeps it closed and I'd like to keep it that way." he added.

"Where is she?" Hermione asked as she realized she knew nothing about his parents who seemed to no longer inhabit the manor.

"She's living in another house, a smaller one. In the outskirts of London." he informed "She lived with me for a while after my father's death but..I think she couldn't put up with staying here anymore. I visit her regularly."

"Your father died?" Hermione frowned "How?" she asked.

"Shortly after the war he was sent on a mission that he never came back from." Draco replied nodded silently in response, she knew she should've said something about being sorry for his loss but she couldn't bring herself to feel any sorrow over Lucius Malfoy.

After a couple of other bedrooms including the one Malfoy currently occupied, they reached his original bedroom.

"And finally this is my bedroom, at least it used to be." he said.

"You can have it back, I can stay in any other room." Hermione offered.

"No, it's okay." he shrugged. "I could've suggested sharing it but my position as an established molester could be an obstacle." he smirked at her.

"Will you _stop_ bringing that up!" Hermione huffed in frustration.

"No." he replied simply. "Anyway, there's something for you in there." he nodded at the bedroom door. Hermione looked at him in confusion for a minute before opening the door to find several bags on the bed.

"What are these?" she asked.

"Some clothes for you, your shirt looks like it had seen better days." he glanced over the creased shirt.

"That's because you carelessly threw it on the floor like it was some rag." Hermione scowled at him.

"Oh you mean after I unbuttoned it and you took it off?" he raised his eyebrow at her "You didn't look coerced to me when you did that." he twisted his mouth sardonically.

Hermione glared at him before turning around and opening the bags one by one, checking their contents. A frown drew her brows together and it deepened with every bag she opened. She displayed some of the items on the bed, her eyes traveling between them and Malfoy who stood watching her with a blank expression on his face, his arms crossed over his chest.

"These are all men's clothes!" Hermione noted in confusion.

"Well, I thought you were dressed as one." he studied her briefly rom head to toe "Plus, it's to keep you safe from any future molestation attempts on my side. " he grinned at her impishly before turning around and leaving the room.


	7. Sterilescere

"Come back here!" Hermione called after Draco.

"Need help trying them on?" Draco asked simply. Leaning against the open door.

"When you're rude, nobody outdoes you!" she scoffed.

"I'll take that as a compliment." he replied haughtily.

"It wasn't." she narrowed her eyes on him "But that's not important, we need to talk." she added.

"Obviously." he replied indifferently "But I have more important things to do now, we can talk when I'm back." he added before descending the stairs and leaving the manor.

Draco cursed himself inwardly. The men's clothes move was completely uncalled for, but so was her attitude this morning. Had anybody else thrown his own shoes at him, he would've rendered him motionless before he could reach for the other one. She had such a nerve! Draco huffed. Part of him panicked when he heard her describe what happened as molestation.  
For a minute he started to think that he was imagining things and that last night's events happened differently than he remembered them.

He was taking one turn after the other, going through narrow filthy alleys until he finally reached his destination. A tiny shop stood at the end of the alley, it looked as shady as its owner. Draco glanced over his shoulder to make sure nobody was watching him then he slipped through the door. Even for a Death Eater, dealing with somebody as disreputable as Fergus MacGregor was suspicious.

As Draco entered the shop, Fergus jumped off his chair and stood up, watching Draco closely with his head slightly bent down. The man was old and frail, with shoulder-length wavy white hair and an equally white mustache.

"Did you get it?" Draco demanded

"Y..yes, sir." the man nodded eagerly. "But I have to say it's a very powerful potion..you add one drop to your drink and it's enough for thirty days." he informed.

"Who said it was for me?" Draco narrowed his eyes at the man.

"I..don..didn't know. I'm sorry, sir." the man stammered.

"Where is it?" Draco asked. The man disappeared into a small room and emerged again shortly, holding a tiny flask in shaky hands. Draco snatched the flask from the man and inspected it, it was filled with some light blue liquid ' **Sterilescere** ' was written on the flask in gold.

"I must warn you sir_" the man said hesitantly "_after the thirty days are over, you have to wait for seven days to drink the potion again...otherwise the effect of the potion..cou...could become permanent." he explained.

"You already said that before." Draco said impatiently.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you before, have I, MacGregor?" Draco demanded in what seemed to be a threat, his eyebrow raised at the old man.

"No, no, sir..never." the man shook his head quickly.

"Good." Draco nodded, reaching for his pocket, he took out a small bag full of Galleons and threw it at a near table. Without another word, he turned on his heel and left the shop.

He toyed with the flask in his hand for a while before tucking it safely in his pocket. This potion was never part of his plan, but he seemed to be improvising ever since Hermione agreed to his bargain.  
He didn't want a child so soon. He knew it was a long journey that he had to make before she could actually love him. But at least he wanted some time where he could improve his image in her mind. Make her view him as somebody worthy of having that baby...and much more.

She had a hidden reason behind accepting his offer, of that he was sure. Yet, he still couldn't figure out that reason. The only thing he was positive of was how impossible it was for Hermione to simply stop fighting and give into fait accompli.

So all he had to do now was buy himself more time and since she was so determined on trying for a baby as soon as possible, it left him with no other option than to try with her. Only he had to ensure that they would fail for the first couple of times. Draco smirked in satisfaction.

He apparated back to the manor. Walking through the door, he noticed the living room was lit. He opened the door slightly and saw Hermione curled on one of the armchairs her nose poked into a book in a very familiar scene.

"I can't help but wonder how did you survive on the run without your precious books." Draco remarked as he entered the room and Hermione's head shot up in his direction.

"I had some books with me, but I lost most of them." she said.

"I don't think there's possibly any book the Wizarding world had known that's not in our library." he said "My father really liked to show it off." he added almost ruefully.

"I know, I've spent some time searching it." she confirmed "Anyway, let's talk." she added, taking a deep breath as she set the book aside and sat upright in her chair. Draco looked at her expectantly as he sat on the opposite chair.

"About last night..I...I might have used the..umm..the wrong term." she stammered.

" _Might?_ " Draco shook his head in disbelief.

"Will you let me finish!" Hermione said impatiently. Draco nodded in response.

"I am not objecting to the act itself; it was inevitable anyway." Hermione said, exerting extra effort to make her tone sound casual. "I find the...the abrupt stop very impractical, though." she added, swallowing hard.

"Impractical?" Draco raised his eyebrow at her. "You have an outstanding talent at turning something as exciting as sex into the most dull subject ever." he twisted his mouth at her in disapproval.

Hermione ignored his remark. "I'm just saying that there is a reason behind it, a mutual goal. And I don't think what happened last night serves that goal in any way." she explained as she stood up and started pacing the room.

Draco looked at Hermione for too long. He hated the miss prim and proper attitude she was maintaining and was so tempted to kiss her out of it. Complicating things was definitely her strength point.

"You know, people have sex for reasons other than pregnancy." he informed.

"People, but not us." she corrected.

"Why not?" he asked.

"We have a..special situation." she replied.

"Yes, but if we're having a child together and eventually getting married, don't you think sex is going to be fundamental in our relationship?" he reasoned with her.

"Look_" Hermione raised her hand in a motion to stop him from speaking any further. Her stomach convulsed with tension at the image his words formed in her head. "_for once I don't want to plan so far ahead. Can we please go through this step by step?" she implored.

Draco was getting more and more fed up with the space between them. He stood up and moved towards her, she stepped back and he stopped in his tracks. Her frame tensed and she swallowed visibly.

He reached for her wrist and pulled her closer. "You _desperately_ need to relax." he advised softly, his thumb rubbing her palm in circular motions. Hermione nodded faintly in response.

"I'm willing to go at whatever pace you set." Draco assured. "But I don't think I can keep up with the unsteady one you're maintaining now." he added.

"This..this whole situation..it's not exactly a picnic for me." Hermione fought to produce a decent sentence; she was too distracted by the man standing in front of her.

"It's not remotely easy for me either. It's a great risk to keep you here; I always have to worry about what would happen if I had a guest and you suddenly decided to wander around the manor." he admitted. "If anybody saw you here, we'll both be dead in the blink of an eye, and that's the best case scenario." Draco flinched at the other scenarios that came up in his mind.

"I'll be careful." Hermione assured. Draco nodded in acknowledgment.

"And then there's dealing with you." he said. "You're not an easy person to handle, in case you haven't noticed." a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"I could say the same about you." Hermione retorted.

"Yes, but at least I'm just one person." he contradicted. "You on the other hand, have at least two or three other people living in your head." he smiled in amusement.

"Two or three?" she repeated in confusion.

"Well, there's the proper one who talks like something between a professor and a politician." he said "And there's the barking mad one who literally throws stuff around." he smirked at her.

" _Then_ _" Draco slightly inclined his head to one side "_there's that tiny feeble one who made a brief appearance last night." he said, bending his head down, he stopped with his lips inches away from Hermione's.

He gazed at her for an agonizing moment, waiting for any objection on her side. She let out a small sigh and her hand closed over his thumb. Her lips, cold with anxiety collided with warmer ones. No persuasion was needed this time as her lips parted instantly for him.  
He freed his thumb from her grip, gliding his hand along her arm and up to her neck. The pad of his thumb brushed her cheek lightly as he angled her head further to one side. He forced his eyes open to look at her and a sense of satisfaction washed over him as he saw her eyes closed.

When the kiss have lasted too long for him to breath properly, he broke it slowly. His ego puffed up his chest as Hermione clutched the lapel of his robe for support. He moved his hand to the small of her back and pulled her closer.

"Yes, that's her." he murmured against her ear.

" _However_ _" he said, lifting her chin up so she could look up at him "_I think she's being bullied by the other two. And I feel personally obligated to empower her." he went on, a mischievous smile curved his mouth.


	8. Fighting Horntails

"Sterilescere, Draco?" Blaise asked incredulously.

"Your voice isn't loud enough, Blaise. I'm sure there are a couple of people at the end of the hall who can't hear you properly." Draco scowled at him.

"Muffliato" Blaise muttered impatiently, pointing his wand at the closed door.

"Why not just a protective spell?" Blaise asked.

"I don't know, Blaise_" Draco shrugged "_she might find it a bit odd if I used a protective spell when we're supposed to be trying for a baby, don't you think?" he smirked at him.

Blaise muttered an insult under his breath before speaking "Why not a contraceptive potion, then?"

"Too risky." Draco replied "For starters, I can't be sure that I can make her drink it every time. What if she just doesn't feel like drinking anything at all? Do I force her to? It would be too suspicious; she's not stupid." he explained.

Draco had spent enough time considering his options. He refrained from explaining the sort of physical chemistry he had with Hermione to Blaise. The idea of planning ahead every time they had sex seemed absurd for Draco. Too much calculations and practicality for something that was supposed to be spontaneous.  
Then came the problem of depending on house elves to add the potion to her drink. What if they added too much? It could leave a permanent effect on her. Of course Sterilescere was a dangerous potion to deal with, but it was his plan and if somebody had to take risks then it was him.

"I still think you shouldn't use it twice." Blaise insisted "One dose should give you enough time, or have you lost your touch?" he snickered

Draco barley stopped himself from biting the first offensive retort that came to his mind. "How are things going with your flambeau?" he asked.

"You really need to stop calling her that." Blaise said with a grimace.

"Well, she got..big after the pregnancy so she's starting to look like an inverted triangle." Draco said, thoughtfully tilting his head to one side.

"Draco..." Blaise warned quietly.

"Her hair looks like a flame so when you put the images together she does look like a flambeau." Draco continued, ignoring his friend's warning.

"Dracooo.." Blaise threatened slowly.

"And her fiery attitude only enhances the metaphor." Draco smiled in amusement. His smile faded as the desk he was resting his hands on flew across the room. He glared at Blaise who looked back at him coldly.

"You should be thankful I never told her about your...metaphor." Blaise said, his voice laced in censure.

"I am utterly petrified." Draco mocked.

"You should be. Pregnant women are scary. I'd pick hunting down a Hungarian Horntail over dealing with a livid Ginny anytime of the day." Blaise admitted.

"Is it really that bad?" Draco asked seriously.

"Well..the Horntail was obviously an exaggeration." Blaise said "But sometimes it isn't. I mean, with a dragon you know what to expect. With Ginny, you never do."

"I thought by now you'd know her better." Draco said. "Obviously, I'm not the one who lost his touch." Draco gave a victorious laugh as he crossed his legs.

"I thought so too. But her mood sways from one extreme to the other in the blink of an eye." Blaise sighed in frustration, ignoring Draco's provocative remark.

He busied himself with lifting the desk up and returning it back in front of Draco. Living with Ginny for the past months was an ultimate test to both his patience and his wits. She had been maintaining a defensive attitude for too long, their fights were almost childish.  
The pregnancy wasn't helping with her mood either. He secretly envied Draco for being able to decide when to become a father rather than have it thrown at him.

He hoped that by now he would be able to get Ginny out of his system. She was everything opposite to his type. A redhead when he preferred blondes. A smart-arse with an opinion on everything when he was perfectly satisfied with dating mere pretty faces who rarely ever posed a mental challenge. But what infuriated and thrilled him the most was her boldness as opposed to the meek shyness he usually sought in women.  
Nothing about Ginny met Blaise's requirements in a woman except maybe how she looked. Still, he found himself drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

Leaving her wasn't an option anymore for him. He had lived with a long string of step-fathers and he didn't plan on letting the same happen to his child. When he finally comes he'll be raised between two perpetual parents, Blaise thought with a determined look on his face. He glanced up at Draco to see why he was suddenly silent and he saw him closely inspecting a wand, trying different spells with it.

"What's wrong with yours?" Blaise inquired.

"It's for Hermione, not me." Draco replied distractedly as he pointed his wand at the coat stand that stood in the corner of the room. He flicked his wand and the stand transformed into a long snake, taking the same mahogany color as the stand. The snake started gliding towards Draco with an air of hostility. He waved his wand again and restored it to its original state.

"Don't you thinks it's too risky to let her have a wand?" Blaise questioned Draco's decision.

"Probably, but she has to have one sooner or later." Draco replied as he secured the wand carefully inside a wooden box.

"Then maybe you should work on increasing the protection over the Manor." Blaise suggested.

"It's not a prison, Blaise. I'm not holding her captive. She's supposed to be there willingly." Draco said.

"What if she runs away?" Blaise asked.

"Then I'll have a closure." Draco shrugged, feigning indifference.

"Good afternoon, gits." Theodore Nott slammed the door carelessly behind him as he threw himself at the chair opposite to Blaise's.

"Afternoon already?" Draco frowned as he glanced over his shoulder at the clock on the wall behind him.

"Sooo, Blaise, how's your torch?" Theo grinned at his friend.

"A flambeau, Theo. A flambeau." Draco corrected with a false serious tone as he stood up to leave.

"Fucking prats." Blaise hissed. "Careful not to fall on the stairs like the barmpot that you are and break your neck." he smiled innocently at Draco.

"So I walk through the door and you just jump off your seat to leave? What am I? Your ex?" Theo sneered at Draco.

"No, even my exes aren't that clingy." Draco smirked at Theo.

"Where are you going?" Theo asked.

"Home." Draco replied simply.

"You've been spending too much time at home lately, don't you think?" Theo remarked tentatively.

"And you have a problem with that because..?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrow at Theo.

"I think you've stayed single for too long." Theo admitted.

"You're starting to sound like my mother." Blaise remarked with a disgusted grimace.

"I'm serious." Theo frowned at Blaise.

"Yes because we all know how celibate Draco has been." Blaise scoffed.

"That's not what I meant. I meant he should try letting things go further than bed." Theo explained.

"Like..the couch?" Draco cocked his head to one side and looked up.

"Or the dinning table." Blaise suggested

"Or the floor" Draco said.

"Or the kitchen..too much house elves, though." Blaise said thoughtfully.

"Or the broomstick cupboard." Draco added as if he just remembered it.

"The broomstick cupboard!" Blaise repeated with an incredulous laugh.

"The novelty of it could be very refreshing. But I won't recommend it if you're not into confined spaces" Draco said matter-of-factly.

"What sort of people could possibly be into confined spaces?" Theo frowned in bewilderment.

"The world is full of sick people, Theodore." Draco replied dramatically.

Without allowing Theo any further arguments he left the office in long strides. He never had a chance to tell Theo about Hermione. He was away on a mission when Draco found her and when he came back neither of them had time to talk. Yet, he knew he should expect a much more forceful reaction than Blaise's understanding one.

Hermione felt like she was imprisoned in the Malfoy Manor. And the worst part of it was that she had willingly put herself in that situation. She woke up this morning and Draco wasn't in the house. She spent most of the day in the library, navigating through books. Then hunger started poking at her stomach. When she woke up, a house elf prepared breakfast for her but apparently they didn't serve lunch until Draco was back.

She knew she could simply ask any of the house elves to prepare a meal for her but she wasn't comfortable enough around the house to treat it like her own. She didn't even know whether the elves would take orders from her or not.  
When she finally saw him standing by the door she almost cheered joyfully. He looked at her with a puzzled expression and she realized that she probably looked awkwardly happy.

"Did you have lunch yet?" he asked. Hermione shook her head in response.

"Alright, join me for lunch then." he offered and Hermione mumbled her approval.

"You were..famished" Draco remarked in amusement as he watched Hermione help herself to a second serving of jacket potato. Hermione chocked on her food and started coughing. He pushed a glass of water into her hand and she drowned it instantly. She held her knife in stabbing position for a minute, looking up at Draco.

"That was rude; I'm sorry." he apologized, fighting back a smile that threatened to provoke Hermione even more.

"I had breakfast really early and haven't eaten anything ever since." she explained

"Why didn't you have lunch earlier?" Draco frowned in confusion.

"I..didn't realize how hungry I was until you came." Hermione tried to sound as convincing as possible.

"I remind you of food?" Draco raised his eyebrow at her quizzically "Well, it's definitely not the sort of hunger I want to evoke in you but it's a good start." he grinned widely as he saw her choke for the second time, her face turning a bright shade of red. He wasn't sure whether it was a result of embarrassment or she was having difficulty breathing.

Hermione raised her hand to her throat. She glanced at the glass to find it empty. Draco followed the direction of her gaze, he reached for her wand and refilled the glass with water. As Hermione drank some water, she couldn't help but think how dependent she was on Draco and it irritated her. She needed at least a fraction of her independence, she needed a wand.

"You said you would get me a wand." Hermione reminded him as she set her plate aside, her appetite suddenly lost.

Draco took out the wooden box from his robe's pocket and placed it in front of Hermione. She opened it and held the wand carefully, instantly feeling it trembling with power. She missed having a wand so much that she felt her eyes glistening with tears. It was only when she held a wand once again that she realized how strong was the bond that formed between a witch and her wand. This wand wasn't hers and it can't fully replace it. But Hermione was determined on making the wand recognize her as her new master even though it felt a bit too powerful in her hands.

She excused herself saying she was going to have a shower and headed back to her room. Draco watched her as she left and he noticed she was still wearing her own clothes. Well, she could hardly wear the clothes you bought her! Draco scolded himself sternly. He went to his mother's room and started searching her clothes, hoping that he could find something suitable.

Hermione showered quickly and put on her bathrobe. She placed some of the clothes Draco had brought on the bed. She started trying to transform them into more suitable clothes. There was a knock on the door and when she told whoever it was to come in, Draco walked into the room.

"Putting the wand to work so soon?" Draco asked as he watched what she was doing.

"The clothes you bought weren't masculine enough for me so I decided to work on that." she said indignantly, lifting her chin up.

"That was a juvenile move." Draco admitted "You don't have to transform them. I don't usually shop for women's clothes but I could ask your friend to buy you some until you can leave the house and buy some on your own."

"Ginny?" Hermione asked. Draco nodded in response.

"You..talk to her?" she seemed to find the idea unbelievable.

"No, but I do talk to Blaise." he replied

"It's alright. It's a good chance for me to practice using the new wand." Hermione explained.

"Well..I brought you a night gown but you it looks like you don't need it now." he said, as he put a navy blue night gown on the bed. Hermione grimaced at the thought of wearing something that must have belonged to one of Draco's girlfriends. It felt like if she did, she would be degrading herself into just another one of them.

She decided to ignore the night gown's existence. "I never thanked you for the wand...so, thank you." she said sincerely. For the first time Hermione was feeling purely grateful to Draco regardless of his intentions.

"No problem." Draco smiled briefly "You seem so fond of that bathrobe." he remarked.

"Up till now it's the only thing I feel comfortable wearing aside from my clothes." Hermione shrugged, turning her attention back to the clothes in front of her.

"It doesn't look so comfortable to me." Draco's voice came from behind her. Hermione turned around to face him.

"It is." she insisted, as she clutched the knot that tied the robe around her waist tightly.

"You're being too uptight for somebody who was barking mad at me for not finishing what I started the other night." Draco challenged. He slid his hand through the tight folds of the robe. Hermione shivered when cold hands glided around her waist, resting at the small of her back and pulling her closer.


End file.
